On this Day, in 1986: Queen performed in Budapest in front of 80,000 people
On July 27, 1986, British rock band Queen performed at Budapest’s Népstadion in front of a crowd of nearly 80,000Continue Reading
Tag: Communism
On this Day, in 1944: the Polish Committee of National Liberation was proclaimed
On July 22, 1944, the Soviet-backed Polish Committee of National Liberation published its political manifesto, establishing itself as the executiveContinue Reading
Czech Radio’s Russian website blocked over 20-year-old article
Prague, Czech Republic – The Russian-language website of Radio Prague International has been blocked in Russia over a 20-year-old articleContinue Reading
On this Day, in 1966: Che Guevara left Prague after a mysterious stay in Czechoslovakia
On 19 July, 1966, Argentine guerillero and key figure of the Cuban revolution Ernesto Che Guevara boarded a plane fromContinue Reading
On this Day, in 1989: diplomatic relations between Poland and the Holy See were restored
On July 17, 1989, diplomatic relations between Poland and the Holy See were officially restored – the first time theContinue Reading
On this Day, in 1989: Imre Nagy and other leaders of the Hungarian Revolution were rehabilitated
On June 16, 1989, Imre Nagy, Pál Maléter and other prominent figures of the Hungarian Revolution of 1956 were rehabilitatedContinue Reading
Interview: “Slovakia needs to recognize its diaspora”
Our Sunday interview with Zuzana Palovic, co-founder of the Bratislava-based NGO Global Slovakia. We talk Slovakia’s place and brand inContinue Reading
Super Slovaks: Alexander Dubček and “socialism with a human face”
This year marks 100 years since the birth of Alexander Dubček. To some, Dubček is the greatest of all Slovaks.Continue Reading
Jerzy Popiełuszko statue vandalized in New York City on Polish Constitution Day
Warsaw, Poland – A statue of Solidarity chaplain Jerzy Popiełuszko has reportedly been vandalized in New York City, angering theContinue Reading
Russia seen as “security threat” by majority of Czechs, poll suggests
Prague, Czech Republic – A majority of Czechs see Russia as a “security threat” to their country, a new surveyContinue Reading
Putin’s “Warsaw Pact” slip of the tongue draws anger and mockery
Warsaw, Poland – In his annual state of the union address, Russian President Vladimir Putin briefly referred to the ColdContinue Reading
On this Day, in 1990: John Paul II became the first pope to visit Prague
On April 21, 1990, Polish-born Pope John Paul II came to Prague for a 2-day visit shortly after the fallContinue Reading
New HBO series set in late Kádár-era Budapest begins filming
Budapest, Hungary – HBO Europe is producing a new TV series set to explore the Hungarian democratic opposition and theContinue Reading
The utopia of WandaVision: an Eastern European imagination of the West
In Wanda Maximoff’s American small-town idyll based on TV-shows she watched as a kid in her post-communist homeland, I recognizedContinue Reading
CineClub: One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest (1975), by Miloš Forman
Revisiting old classics, discovering hidden gems and exploring the contemporary movie scene: every month, Kafkadesk’s CineClub brings you new insights and expertContinue Reading
On this Day, in 1948: Jan Masaryk was found dead in mysterious circumstances
On the night of March 10, 1948, Jan Masaryk, the son of Tomas Garrigue Masaryk and then Foreign Minister ofContinue Reading
Sándor Márai and the fight against totalitarianism and nihilism
Budapest, Hungary – Memoir of Hungary 1944-1948, written by acclaimed writer Sándor Márai, provides a deep insight into the everydayContinue Reading
On this Day, in 1946: Winston Churchill delivered his famous “Iron Curtain” speech
On March 5, 1946, in one of the most famous orations of the Cold War, former British Prime Minister WinstonContinue Reading
On this Day, in 1948: the Communist Party took power in Czechoslovakia
On February 25, 1948, the Communist Party, with Soviet backing, assumed undisputed control over the government of Czechoslovakia, marking theContinue Reading
Reviewing Killing Auntie by Andrzej Bursa
The first and only novel of Andrzej Bursa, Killing Auntie, tells the absurd story of a character who is all too familiarContinue Reading